Episode 7052 (12th April 2009)
Plot David hides Joe's painkillers. Joe and Gail search frantically for them. Peter, Simon, Deirdre and Blanche attend the Easter service at church. They take the rabbit along for the pet blessing. Ken's scathing about their Christian beliefs. Sophie tells Sally that she wants to get herself christened. Tina arrives at the Platts house and David immediately "finds" Joe's painkillers in the hope of impressing Tina. Joe's sceptical and wonders if David took them in the first place. Ken hears a radio advert for a play in which Martha is performing. He tells Ted that he might go along to see it. Ted warns him it's a bad idea. Kevin challenges Tyrone to a race to prove he's fitter than him. Kevin wins easily and tells Jason that he wants to sign up for the half marathon. Molly signs up too. David gives Tina an Easter egg with the details of a new flat hidden in middle of it. He tells Tina he wants her to move in with him. But Tina's adamant it's over between them. David's convinced she's seeing Gary but Tina denies it. Ken tries to teach Simon the theory of humanism but when Simon asks if his mother is in heaven even Ken is silenced. Audrey's rude to Joe accusing him of sponging off Gail and simply using her. Gail's furious and throws Audrey out. Claire proudly tells Graeme how Joshua scored a goal in his football match. David resolves to get rid of Gary once and for all. Cast Regular cast *David Platt - Jack P. Shepherd *Joe McIntyre - Reece Dinsdale *Ashley Peacock - Steven Arnold *Claire Peacock - Julia Haworth *Joshua Peacock - Benjamin Beresford *Kevin Webster - Michael Le Vell *Sally Webster - Sally Whittaker *Sophie Webster - Brooke Vincent *Blanche Hunt - Maggie Jones *Simon Barlow - Alex Bain *Peter Barlow - Chris Gascoyne *Deirdre Barlow - Anne Kirkbride *Ken Barlow - William Roache *Gail Platt - Helen Worth *Emily Bishop - Eileen Derbyshire *Tina McIntyre - Michelle Keegan *Audrey Roberts - Sue Nicholls *Ted Page - Michael Byrne *Poppy Morales - Sophiya Haque *Jason Grimshaw - Ryan Thomas *Molly Dobbs - Vicky Binns *Tyrone Dobbs - Alan Halsall *Graeme Proctor - Craig Gazey *Freddie Peacock - Dylan & Hayden Whitbread (Uncredited) Guest cast *Reverend Peach - Nick Caldecott Places *Coronation Street exterior *Rovers Return Inn - Public *1 Coronation Street - Back room, kitchen and hallway *4 Coronation Street - Downstairs rooms *8 Coronation Street - Downstairs rooms *13 Coronation Street - Back room and kitchen *St. Saviour's Church - Interior and exterior Notes *In the Scottish and Grampian regions only, this episode was transmitted at 7.15pm, fifteen minutes earlier than the rest of the country which transmitted the episode at the usual time of 7.30pm. *Following this episode's UK transmission, Ofcom and ITV received complaints from viewers regarding Ken Barlow's criticisms of Christianity, which include referring to the religion as "superstition", and questioning Peter allowing Simon to be indoctrinated by the church, favouring a humanistic belief system. Viewers complained that Ken's comments were "completely unacceptable" and "inappropriate" to be shown on Easter Sunday. ITV replied to the criticisms, saying: "At the moment we have a very positive story involving Sophie Webster and her new found interest in religion, Emily Bishop has also always been seen as a very positive representation of Christianity. Likewise Ken Barlow's different views on religion have always been a strong aspect of his character." *''TV Times'' synopsis: Tempers fray as the Platts celebrate Easter, and amid the chaos David offers Tina a gift; Kevin challenges Tyrone to a race; and Ken considers attending Martha's theatre performance. *Viewing Figures: UK broadcast - 5,440,000 viewers (25th place). This was the lowest-rated episode of the year, and the lowest rated episode of the programme ever transmitted until 7th December 2014. Category:2009 episodes Category:Episodes outside of broadcast patterns